GSC: Respect
by Karianasan
Summary: What could be making Rally so annoyed? Just another day for the crew of GunSmith Cat's. Everyday styled story Enjoy! CHAPTER 5 out!
1. Respect

_First GunSmith Cat's Fanfic. I hope this is enjoyable to anyone who is a fan, or even if you are not one. R&R Loved. Thank you for reading._

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All was quiet for the little shop in Chicago. GunSmith Cat's was having a lull in the afternoon, though it was welcome to the few workers that had been there. With Rally out, Misty and May had not much to do besides take orders and work on the ones they knew how to without the main gunsmith there to supervise. Standing about a foot shorter out of the two, Minnie May Hopkins was more skilled at smithing then her taller, reddish haired younger assistant Misty Brown. Between the two of them, they were about to please the customers enough. Then again those who regularly shopped at the store knew well that it was worth the wait.

But as lunch time rolled around, the customers dwindled off leaving the two ladies some much deserved sitting time. Lounging in chairs behind the counter, they enjoyed the much needed rest off their feet. Sadly, the stillness in the shop would not last long.

**SCREEEEECH!  
SLAM!**

Squealing tires and the rough banging of a door signaled the return of someone to the shop. A few loud obscenities seemed to echo from the garage before it died down to a very annoyed mutter. Blinking in surprise, the two ladies stared at the door, pensive of what might be coming out.

"Why I aughta… they wouldn't even… argh! If I was…" With the grace of a herd of elephants, Rally Vincent, the owner of GunSmith Cat's, tromped into the main area of the Gun shop. She breathed in deep, but even the smell of gunpowder and oil from the guns could not sooth her sour mood. A scowl on her face, she set her sights on May and Misty sitting around. Her eyes narrowed, glaring at the un-active two giving off the aura that she was about to get upset at them for lying about on the job. Sensing this, May was quick to her feet and waving her hands in defense against the upset owner.

"Whoa whoa whoa… I know that look. Down girl!" May tried to calm the annoyed Rally down. Turning to Misty, she pointed at her and then to the break room that sat behind them.

"Coffee! Black! Stat!"

Scrambling to her feet to obey the order, Misty tripped over her chair on the way into the back room. With the chair clattering to the floor, the younger girl vanished to get the much needed caffeine ready. With Misty at work, May went to coral Rally to calm down and sit. Like a flustering mother, she took the risk of annoying Rally more and shoo'ed her to sit down. Almost vaulting over the counter, Misty landed softly and skidded to a halt with the coffee extended. Once sitting, the tense Rally softened, especially at the offered coffee. Taking an experimental sip, the dark skinned woman seemed satisfied with the taste and temperature enough to chug the rest of the dark brew like one might take a shot. With drink gone, she slammed down the cup with a bang.

"STUPID KIDS!"

She shouted again, annoyed but more venting then true anger. She was getting it out of her system, in oddly a less violent method then she might normally use. The most preferred way being a Bounty to hunt, but with it being a slow week and her favorite gun in the shop for some minor repairs that was not possible. May was relieved, since the exclamation was nothing to worry about. Knowing it was not serious; she leaned forward and got a smug grin on her face, with an almost cat like air to her.

"Some kids call you an old lady again?"

May commented, picking on her one year older friend. While May looked as if she was still in her teens, Rally had often been called an old lady or old hag by kids before, upsetting the younger woman. Picking up her cup, she tried to take another swig of it only to find she had drained it previous. Shoving the cup out, she held it in Misty's direction. Not wanting to anger Rally any more, the youngest member took the cup and disappeared to get a refill for her boss. Having to wait for the new cup, Rally leaned back on the chair picking it off two legs and sighing. Placing an arm over her face in frustration, she shielded her eyes from the fluorescents of the shop before she spoke again.

"It started off well enough; just a simple delivery and a few errands, nothing all that out of the ordinary or out of the norm. I even stopped to have some coffee with Roy."

"Seems normal enough to me?" Misty added, returning with another hot cup of coffee. Nodding thanks, Rally set all legs of the chair on the ground and took a sip of the dark blend. She made sure not to drink to fast, making it last longer as she talked. With the warmth seeping though her, she was calming down.

"It was." Rally continued, "Until I made a simple stop at a gas station to get some more oil for my baby." Her baby being the GT500 Shelby Cobra sitting in the garage she came in on. The baby blue and white muscle car being her favorite mode of transportation she had ever found. Both girls were paying full attention, curious what some kids had done to warrant her grumpy manner she came home with.

"I bought the oil with no problems, but on my way out I heard some noise from outside. Hoping it wasn't something bad; I quickly paid for the oil and made way outside. There is where there was a bunch of snot nosed punks picking on a small little old lady." A quick chug of the last bits of coffee seemed to hearty her for the next part. "Apparently the old lady had used the handicapped parking. The bunch of kids had decided to park in the other one and were blocking her way to get in."

"That poor lady." Misty said horrified. It was a little old lady for goodness sake.

"Yeah." Rally's eyebrows furrowed as she remembered. "It took a bit of creative persuading…"

"Rally!" May looked over at the other girl a bit shocked. Assuming she did something before the other girl even had finished her sentence. Rally really didn't have a good track record for these kinds of things. Shaking her head, the older woman waved her hands in defense.

"There were several things I WANTED to do, but Roy had showed up and scared them away with a quick siren. Apparently I had left something and he had followed me to give it back. But really… Those kids had no respect for their elders. A lot of kids do such stupid things no a days and have no respect for people. More and more kids really are stupid now." Rally finished with another sigh, really wishing she could have done the few ideas she had in mind at the time before Roy had showed up. Though it was probably for the better, since she really didn't need to get in any more trouble then she had reputation for.

"If I was there, I would have... WAH!"

As Misty was about to tell them all about what she would have done in that same situation, it seemed like she had burst into flight in the middle of the shop. Her legs kicked feet above the air before she seemed to settle at a height of almost six feet. As she was settled, it seemed that she was now sitting up top a leather covered shoulder. Grinning beside her hip, a rough looking man was smiling down at the all, teeth looking almost fang like in a sweet expression.

"What are you doing here Bean?" May asked as she craned her neck to look up at the huge frame that was Bean Bandit. Known as well as 'Road Buster' and a few other names, the famous lead foot driver slash delivery boy was not a unfamiliar sight to them all, but uncommon to be out among normal people; specifically in their shop.

"Aww…" He whined, not dropping the smirk that was on his scarred, dark toned face. "Can't I just come and visit you guys without you thinking there was something wrong?"

"I would believe you had your track record been better Bean." Rally commented dryly, which earned a laugh from the large man.

"I shouldn't thought better then try to mess with the famous Rally Vincent and Crew." May shot the man a raspberry as he only referred to the rest of them as 'crew', though she held no real grudge against the guy as long as he wasn't against them. He had saved her a few times, so she did owe him a bit over the years. Patting May on the head, he gave her a wink before responding to Rally.

"I just came to see if I could borrow this." With a strong grip upon Misty, he bumped up the shoulder she was sitting on which earned a squeak from the young girl. Rally raised an eyebrow at his request, though it was Misty herself who voiced her curiosity.

"Um… Why do you need me?"

"Well…" He looked up from Rally and May to look at Misty as he was talking to her, being more respectful then one might assume of a man of his air and appearance. "..Like Rally here, I too had a run in with a few stupid kids today. There was like three runts who thought it would be fun to take on The Buff and try to vandalize it."

"The Buff, that's your baby that makes a tank look wimpy, right?" May questioned, remembering Bean's love for muscle cars similar to Rally ended up him saving up enough to build his own car from the ground up. It made a armored car look like a cardboard box on wheels. Bean grinned like a kid in a candy store.

"Yeah. The Buff could eat a frag grenade for breakfast and still be hungry, so the things these kids were doing was childish in comparison. But what got me worried was the fact after they couldn't break into her, they started seeing if they could crack my lock. Now the body she has is solid, but a lock is only so strong to the right person. I did hire a serious locksmith for her inner workings, but it got me thinking. That's why I need to borrow this."

Another shake of his shoulder sent Misty into the air and landing hard on the thick armor plated shoulder of his jacket. Misty had prior experience with this jacket previous, as the Moose leather, Kevlar, ceramic plates and chain mail construction and probably more had landed once on her foot when she broke into his house to find half of a dollar bill. Bean was smart in his choice, since Misty was still working off her debt to society for the many break in's and other trespassing she was known for doing, being self proclaimed queen of cat-burglars. Her skills were definitely worth boasting about if even Bean Bandit wanted her to test his car with her help.

"I'm more then a 'this'." Misty remarked, scoffing at his term for her. If he needed her so badly, he could at least be a bit kinder. Bean's attention seemed to have switched to Rally in the span of the conversation, his eyes big and puppy like as he tried to cute his way into borrowing Misty. Rally laughed, amused at Bean's antics for the request, being cute definitely not his strong point.

"Alright! Alright!" She waved her hands at him. "Just stop with the face, your creepy when you're trying to be cute. Make sure you bring her back in one piece though!" She lectured the much taller and more massive man. He cut the look and saluted, beaming in appreciation to borrow the lock picker. Turning, he slung Misty now over one shoulder in a fireman's carry position, having her point behind him. With shock eyes, she flailed in Rally and May's direction.

"Waaaaaaaaaait…. Rally!" With a Cheshire like grin, May and Rally wiggled their fingers at the helpless borrowed girl.

"Have fun!" They said in chorus, watching the girl and the man disappear though the door and into the bright afternoon. They waved for a bit until Misty was gone from the front store window and off to where ever Bean had The Buff for her to try to crack into. Peering into her still empty cup, Rally got an idea.

"How about we go somewhere for lunch? All this frustration, I think I earned a meal!" Not willing to skimp on a free meal, May was quick to agree.

"Out Fishing?" May suggested, Rally smiled and nodded.

"Yep, Gone Fishing, be back later."


	2. Secure Measures

_Originally this was not going to be a continuous story, but... I felt like making the scene between Bean and Misty and The Buff. Enjoy. Keep an eye out for more.  
Toki  
_

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"Bean…." There was no answer…

"Bean!"

The woman tried again, a bit louder this time so that the man would hear her. The tone of her voice calling his name was insistent and getting louder. Though it seemed he was ignoring her.

"BEAN!"

She accompanied the yell straight into his ear, so it was clear he would hear her. But even with her loud call, he still ignored her. With an annoyed huff blowing some of her reddish brown hair out of her face, she balled her fist and swung her fist up and into the air. Bringing it hard upon the top of his head with a dull thwacking sound as her fist hit the top of his black crop of hair. Pain lanced… but not into his head. Her hand smarting against her weak blow compared to the hard thick head of Bean Bandit, though it did get his attention.

"Hm? You say something Misty?"

He looked up at her, a slightly puzzled look on his face. His grin tugging at the edges of his mouth was the only sign he had actually heard her the whole time, but was enjoying messing around with her head. Clutching her hand as it throbbed from her 'brilliant' idea, she scowled down at him.

"I can walk you' know!"

With one arm wrapped lightly around her waist, Misty Brown found herself sitting upon Bean's shoulder, (Also not the most comfortable spot in the world.) After he had exited out of Gunsmith Cats, he had returned her to the sitting position on his shoulder, and he had been walking nonchalantly down the street with her head hovering almost eight feet in the air looking over all who walked past them. It didn't seem to bother in him the slightest, but the stares were starting to get to her. There was nothing wrong with her legs; it just was the fact that he was borrowing her and didn't want her to get away was probably on his list from not letting her down.

"I promise I won't run away." Misty whined, eager to get out of the public's eye as he bore her on his shoulder like a trophy. Bean turned to look where he was going, and gave the idea a ponder. Though he really didn't need to look where he was going; since he looked scary enough on his own to make anyone passing by part for the massive man. The black leather coat, fingerless gloves, red headband, and pair of sunglasses that covered the x scar that crisscrossed his face didn't help make him look any less intimidating.

"Alright, we are almost there anyway."

Being the nice guy Bean was, he made sure to let down Misty gently and softly to the ground, waiting till she got her footing till he let her stand on her own. As tough as Bean Bandit looked, he had a weak spot for kids, and to him Misty was in that range certainly younger then himself. Dusting herself off, she obeyed her promise to him and followed as the man continued towards where ever his car was sitting. But they were not there yet, so Misty felt like conversing as they walked.

"So The Buff eh? Rally and May have talked about it, but I don't think I got to see it."

She tried to recall all the various times she had interacted with the Courier, but most of the time when he showed up things were crazy enough if she had run into his prized car, she might not have been attentive enough to notice it all. Though she did recall when she snuck into his house the one time she saw with her own eyes the massive collection of muscle cars he had collected over the years. It was quite a sight.

"I think you might have seen it, but you'll get your chance now if you didn't." He said with a beaming smile of pride.

With good reason, since The Buff was built from the ground up by the muscle car addict. Based on a Porsche chassis with a Corvette Stingray engine block, he had the engine converted to get up to almost two hundred miles per hour and killer torque. The body is covered in 5mm-thick battleship steel armor plate, and the windows are made of a combination of bulletproof glass and Lexgard plastic. Thus, it is armored sufficiently enough to withstand SMG fire, though it can be taken out by high gauges of rounds and anti-tank shells but standard weapons are playthings to The Buff. It also had several add-ons that add to Bean's skills for driving, like a ninety degree angle rotation for his tires so that he could be able to not just move forward, but sideways. Though it was limited in its speed and no ability to turn in that mode, it was still more equipped then a normal car. To put it lightly, The Buff was a monster vehicle to suit a monster of a man that made it.

The car on the outside didn't look all that different from normal cars. It had enough of a common style that it didn't look as much like the beast it really was. The main thing that appeared different was the big insignia that adorned the hood of an outline of a Cape buffalo; which was the inspiration of the massive car. Though one might simply believe that it was a foreign car, and think nothing more, which was the whole idea. Plus it was a really nice shade of Porsche Red.

A whistle let out as Misty circled the car. Any person with an eye for cars would be impressed at the build and style The Buff had. Bean stood watching, a grin of pride as the girl inspected his car.

"Don't be afraid to touch her." Bean walked over and gave the top of the car a hearty pat that thudded loudly as his hand hit it. The thud echoing in the small alleyway he had parked at. The car could take most ammunition and shrug them off easily; a mere hand was not going to do anything. You couldn't even Key the car if you tried, like the punks the day before had learned the hard way. "She isn't going to break. And if she does, then I think I would be back to the drawing board."

Bean laughed loud enough to spook the mousier girl. Bean was certainly odd to be around, intimidating, but had an odd air about him. He was as impressive as he was scary, making it hard for Misty to know what he was going to do next.

"Alright. Now I want you to break in to her. Do it as if you were trying to steal her." Bean said simply and plainly, a grin upon his face nodding her way. Misty looked up, a bit surprised. She knew he wanted to test his locks of the car, but how he said it so plainly and loudly was enough to through her off balance.

"O…O… Okay."

Reaching into a hidden pocket in her outfit, she pulled out one of her lock pick kits. It wasn't her best one she owned, but he really didn't give her much time to prepare. He didn't seem to even have doubted she had one on her, showing to her that he at least respected her skills. Especially since she was working on his baby, to say the least it was a big compliment.

Pushing ego aside, she got to work. Selecting the right tools, she kneeled and squinted at the lock. With a few testing probes, she counted the tumblers on the lock. It was impressive, but nothing she had not seen before. While most car locks had vastly inferior inner workings that made house doors look complicated, The Buff was outfitted with a lock structure that echoed something with much higher complexity. As she worked, he seemed to have come over to watch her work. So she felt obligated to walk him through, since he seemed curious at what she was doing.

"Now normal locks on modern day cars are extremely easy to get into. Unlike a normal house, it takes fewer tumblers to unlock the car. Also with most generic locks on cars, the more you used it, the easier it would get worn to the point some older cars just needed like a well placed knife to open the lock." She was taking her time, since the owner of the car was right there; it wasn't like she would get caught for it all.

"Also some cars could be opened with a Slim Jim, a flat piece of metal that you could slide into the gap between the windows at the car. Though…" She stopped her work and ran a hand at the gap between his window and the glass, but the stuff he had made the car out of didn't have enough give to get a Slim Jim past it. Bean nodded, since he knew about that and took precautions against it, but he didn't interrupt her as she continued.

"Also how it's mounted and how much force and wear the lock can take is important. If the lock is not secure into the body panel, then it might be easier to jiggle it till it opens. You're guy did a good job mounting it into the panel, making the lock unmoving. Which is one thing to prevent it from being picked, an average person off the street would struggle to get this open if it was possible for them. The more disks, the harder it is to unlock, your guy had that idea which adds to the difficulty of this lock."

Going back to fiddling with the lock, she counted the sections she had to crack. It was a little more then double what a normal car had. Since she now had gathered enough information with playing with it earlier that she went to work seriously. With little then a half a minute, she twisted the lock and slid back to open the door. A raised eyebrow appeared over the top of his sunglasses as he nodded for her to continue. She looked up at him, seeing that he was letting her continue she plopped herself into the seat.

"Eeps!" She squeaked as she misjudged the bucket seat and fell into it. Pushing herself up on her arms, she was barely able to see over the dash, and it was nearly impossible for her to reach his peddles. Well, besides the fact she 'could' get into the vehicle, it was apparent she would have a hard time getting away with it being the short stature she was. Blinking, she shrugged and moved to the ignition. Applying similar techniques, The Buff roared to life under her skilled fingers. A whistle was let out from Bean.

"I didn't doubt your abilities, but I have to say I'm a bit upset she was so easy to get into."

"It wasn't exactly easy." Misty commented, letting the car die down as she took out her picks and put them away. "It is far harder to pick then a normal car. A normal person it would be impossible to get into, a person who knew what they were doing and had enough time could get in. People like me, this would still take a while of prodding, but it would not take longer then ten minutes tops. Though there are a few things you could do to make this harder. One is rounding off the tumblers. It prevents the wear of the pins, and makes it harder to get a pick to push it up. Also beveling the outsides of each pin section increases the distance the pick has to push up on, so when having to deal with a large amount of tumblers will make it harder to get all the correct spots at once. You could also alter the head of the pin to different shapes. The most common is a mushroom, spool or serrated driver. These odder shapes make it harder to pick and you have to get them just right in order to not get the shapes caught on the sheer line. A mixture of shapes one the different pins would certainly mess up even someone like me."

Misty suggested, Bean brought up a thoughtful hand to his wide chin and seemed deep in thought over what she had said. After a while, he seemed satisfied and waved for her to get out.

"You are a great help! Thanks." He grinned at her, his teeth looking almost wolf-like. He offered his hand and helped pulled her out of the deep driver's chair. Patting her on the head, he was more cheery for a person whose car could have been stolen right then and there.

"How about I treat you to some pizza? My treat! The least I could do for having you help me out." Bean offered, still with a smile on his face. Who was she to refuse an offer from him…. And free food. With him gesturing to the other side of the car, he got into the drivers seat and unlocked the lock so she could get into the passengers side. Sliding into the seat, Misty found that unlike his side, hers was built for a normal person. With The Buff coming alive under her real key, Bean eased her out of the alleyway and off to a nearby pizza place.


	3. Of Mozzarella and Rumors

To all those reading; I am going to be writing with Rally and the rest. This is going to be more then Bean and Misty, but the story wasn't at first intended to be a full blown story… But the story had other ideas. So Fear Not! Rally, May and more are on the way!  
Sit back and enjoy!  
Toki

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With Bean behind the wheel, it took no time before the expert driver was settling his baby Buff into a parking spot connecting to the pizza place. With mild urging from Bean to get out of the car, Misty found herself following the large man into the front of the building. A red overhang provided limited shelter for the entrance against rain and shading against the sun. On the side of it read in bold white letters, 'The Best Pizza on Earth!' all in caps. Trailing after Bean, Misty looked around him as they entered the pizza place slash bar. It had a laid back feeling and there were many there already enjoying the atmosphere. With a nod to the man at the door, Bean headed confidently to the back of the place and took up a table, motioning Misty to sit before he even sat himself.

When Misty took her seat, Bean then moved to take his. Quickly behind him sitting, a very skittish waiter came dashing over from one side and as quick as one could be with still being polite, he delivered the menus and vanished. Scooping up the menu, Bean looked over the top of his shades at the various offered dishes.

"Hm… What to get today?"

As Bean looked over the list hungrily, Misty warily picked it up to take a gander at the food offered there. She flinched at the prices, since most things were close or over ten dollars for a single piece.

"You better pick something, I bet your hungry…" He didn't even look over at her as he said it, eyes still glued to the menu in front of him. He was right though, since he had pulled her away before she had managed to con Rally and May out of some lunch. Also the mild protests of her grumbling stomach only added to the agreement of Bean's statement, so she had to give the food another look.

"One of my favorites is what they call 'The Painful'." Bean looked over his shades at her, a mischievous smile across his face. "You would love it! Real hot stuff! Probably would melt through most things that you could find laying about."

Misty looked wide-eyed at Bean as he seemed almost prideful of the location's food, even though he had nothing to do with how it was made. Fan of the spicy things, his stomach seemed to be as strong as the rest of him. Turning back to the menu, he seemed to get a thoughtful look on his face as he was considering something else.

"Well… The Ditka is also good. Lot's of meat. Hmmm… Spicy or meat, tough choice."

While it was true that the amount of food was impressive in its variety, Misty wasn't sure she was ready to take on something of the caliber she was looking at as options. So she retreated to the sandwich section for something less intimidating. The selection was much limited, since the place was a Pizza place, not overall Italian restaurant. But it was large enough for her to pick something that would be enough to solve her complaining stomach and make a choice that she wouldn't feel as guilty getting, a mozzarella meatball sandwich. Simple yet filling, and also not as pricy as the larger pizza's tended to be.

"I know… I'll just get both!" With no fear of cost, Bean boldly exclaimed aloud his choice for both pizza's he had been debating over. Giving a wave to the only visible Waiter, he moved quickly to get their order. Leaning to Misty, he nodded towards the fidgeting waiter for her to say her order.

"I'll have the… um… Meatball sandwich with mozzarella. And a soda would be fine for me." Misty said meekly, afraid of spending to much of Bean's money and take advantage of his generosity.

"I'll take one fourteen slice 'Painful' and another fourteen slice 'The Ditka'. Also give me three bottles of your finest Flat Tire Amber Ale's! Oh, and before I forget, make sure you bring us some garlic bread and cheese!" As the waiter ran away, Bean gulped down the water that had sat upon the table before they sat. With a satisfied sound as he finished off the drink, he turned to Misty. Pointing with a finger at her, he made a comment.

"I used to like hot wings, great tasting stuff. But ever since that one time, it always tastes a bit electric to me." The memory left an odd taste in his mouth, but the events that had happened had been very amusing to say the least, even if he did loose some clientele. But it wasn't that bad in the long run.

"So… Do you have any idea what I can tell my locksmith to make The Buff even better? It would be bad if even a tank can't stop her, but no offense, a simple thief can get in her."

Waving her hands in her own defense, she shook her head.

"I..I don't mind at all. Though this is the first time I was asked by someone to break into their own vehicle." She admitted truthfully. "…But now that I think about it, I did hear about this one type of lock that was supposed to be thief proof."

With much speed, just as she finished talking a drink had been placed by her. Followed by her meal she ordered. Surprised at the speed, she looked over and found that Bean had gotten both of his pizza's, garlic bread in record time.

"Thank you my good man." He said as he used one finger to effortlessly flick off the top of the bottle to get at the Flat Tire Amber Ale. Chugging down almost a full bottle in one go, he took in a breath before speaking. "Ahhh… Good stuff. Eh? Thief proof lock? What kind of lock could do that?"

Picking up her sandwich, she blew on it lightly to cool down a bit so she could take a bite. Chewing quickly, and taking sips of her drink she tried to get it down so she could answer him. Gulping, she responded.

"It is a multiple stage lock." Using her fingers, she tried to give an image along with her description. "The top and bottom of the key that fits this lock has teeth on both sides rather then a standard single top. Also unlike normal keys, it's much thicker and has an odd shape to it. It also has these pot marks on then, which actually are also part of the lock. When you put in the proper key and turn it, another set of tumblers lock on to identifying another section of the key's shape, and so on for several turns. Now if you HAD the key, opening it isn't a problem. But trying to pick the lock makes it near impossible. You would need several hands in such a small area to hold all the pieces just right and turn it all. Impossible to open the lock without some kind of pre-made tool that probably would take years to make, quite impressive really."

Thankfully this wasn't a popular choice in locks, being a bit expensive for most people. Made her life easier that it was so unknown, or out of the normal people price range. More locks for her to pick.

"It also has some false gates… Which when you are trying to pick into it, will fool your sense of touch with making things move without actually having to do with the inner mechanisms."

An impressed whistle let out from Bean, who was chowing down upon his second pizza already, most of the garlic bread had disappeared. The first one hadn't stood a chance, and the spiciness didn't even slow the man down. Gulping down the chuck he had been chewing, he made sure that it was all down before talking.

"So this lock in essence is Thief proof that even you couldn't get inside?"

An embarrassed blush crossed her face, ashamed that a lock could in fact beat her. The Great Misty Brown, defeated by a stupid hunk of metal. Before she could even think it over, she blurted out her defense. 

"I could!"

She yelled louder then she wanted pushing back the chair she had been sitting in as she stood up, drawing the rooms attention to her for a second before she grew wide-eyed and sat down realizing she had blurted it. Bean gave an equally loud laugh and gave her a hearty slap on her back almost knocking the wind out of her from the impact.

"I bet you could, but Rally doesn't pay you enough to get one to practice on, eh?"

Bean joked as Mistys eyes watered as she recovered from the blow he gave her. She had enough energy to grin and nod, hoping that he didn't playfully whap her again. Hiding behind her sandwich, she tried to get her breath back as he spoke.

"So a complex lock that has false switches and requires a special key to use it." He tried to picture it in his mind by her description but was having some trouble since he had never run across something like that before. "Hmmm… That sounds like fun, but what is it called?"

"I am not sure what it's called." She swallowed a bit of her food, regaining most of her composure. "But it's from some fancy lock company that only makes that kind of lock."

Putting a garlic breadstick to her mouth, she nibbled on it as she tried to recall the name. It was a rather oddly spelled place, and it sounded like something else…

"Was it Alloy…. No, that's not right."

As Misty pondered aloud, Bean's attention seemed to be wandering. There was something happening over on another side of the room that was distracting the big man. A large group of people were collecting around something… or someone by the bar section of the restaurant.

"… maybe it was Maloy…" Misty continued to talk as Bean started to get up and move towards the group. Unnoticing, Misty finally remembered the name.

"Abloy! That's the name!" But her success was cut short since Bean was no longer sitting at the table. Looking around, she found him walking towards the mass to one side. Standing up as well, she trailed after him to see what was going on.

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"Now what does such a pretty… _old lady_ want to know something like that?" One of the many younger punks jeered, seeming to have surrounded one woman in the center of their group.

"Old woman…" Grumbled the lady, grinding her teeth at the false statement. Probably around her twenties to thirties, the reddish brown haired woman was wearing a short jacket over a t-shirt and jeans. Hardly something an old woman would be wearing. The woman didn't seem to be that intimidated by the large group around her, glaring at the past a pair of glasses that sat perched on her nose. Though she bit her tongue about the old lady crack and continued her questioning.

"I heard that I would be able to find some information about 'Grandpa' Francis here." She said undaunted.

"Grandpa doesn't want to talk to an old bat like you…" One of the younger members sneered, licking his lips at and pulling a knife out of his coat. The blade make a quiet click sound as it locked into position. Wiggling it at her in a threat, he started to move forward. "…But I'll be more willing to talk if you will play some show and tell."

"What the…"  
"Hey!"  
"Huh? What.."  
"WAH!"

Various shouts of confusion came from one side of the huddled group as someone was making their way into the center. Bean, fed up with what he was hearing, was picking the people out of his way till he got to where the woman looked fearful at the man advancing on her. With a glitter in the light, the knife made its way toward the woman, but never made it. The blade seemed frozen in midair, no matter what the young teen tried to move it. Turning, he found himself looking far up till he reached the grinning face of Bean Bandit.

"Boo!" 

Within seconds, the group scattered leaving the knife still in Bean's hand. With the group gone, Misty was now able to see who it was that had gotten herself in such a pickle of a situation.

"Becky?"

Looking up at the familiar voice, Becky Farrah found herself blinking between Bean and Misty, confused at why they were here. Though she was a bit grateful to Bean for saving her, but she wouldn't tell him that. Her pride prevented her; instead she scoffed at the large man.

"I would have been fine. I had everything under control." She adjusted her glasses in a haughty way, ignoring the fact she owed him for getting her out of the tight situation. Bean smiled, having seen the routine before, and said nothing of it. Misty was far more curious then he though, coming up to Becky and asking her about it.

"Are you ok? What were you here for anyway?" Becky put up a finger, and silenced the younger girl. But before she spoke again, Bean interrupted the both of them.

"My food's going to get cold sitting all alone over there. Let's sit and talk instead of making the poor bartender more nervous."

Looking over, the man behind the counter was looking between the group and the shotgun that sit laying under his bar. It was bad enough all the punks came there, let alone Bean making more trouble. Waving the women in front of him, he herded them back to the table. With a heavy thud, Bean deposited himself back in his chair and moved straight into his meal without even a look to the other two. If it didn't involve his services, then it wasn't important. But it certainly interested Misty. If Becky was involved, then there was something big up. Once upon her seat, she shifted her weight almost to the edge in curiousness hoping Becky might give away a bit of free information. Well they did save her from the group… Even though Misty hadn't lifted a finger to do anything, but it was still 'they' in her mind. Bean wouldn't have been here if he wasn't hungry after having her break into his car. So it made perfect sense…

"So… Spill it. What was that about?" Misty grilled Becky. Looking over the area, Becky pulled over a chair and sat into it with a thump. She looked from Bean to Misty and then sighed. It had been Becky's idea to tell Rally anyway eventually, but Misty was probably going to be needed as well for her master plan so she might as well 'spill' it before she told Rally.

"Well… There is this guy named Michel Francis… Other wise known as 'Grampa'…"


	4. Chinese and Gun Powder

The streets of Chicago were home to the roar of engines and the squeal of tires. And a certain Shelby was not an unfamiliar sight across the city's roadways. With a new coat of wax and new paint job, Rally's baby was ready for anything. The blue and white GT-500 wove expertly as her owner put her through her paces as they headed to Lunch. Rally had specifically picked somewhere further away from home so she would be able to stretch her legs, as it were. Eyes focused upon the road, nothing would alter her focus. It was just her…

"Rally…"

And.

"Rally!"

The road…

"RALLY!" Hollering as loud as she could, the blond younger passenger yelled in hope to get her partners attention. Scowling at the distraction, Rally broke her staring contest with the broken yellow lines to glare over at Minnie May.

"What is May!" She asked impatiently. As if there was something more important then making sure her baby worked ok.

"Phone!" The Bomb lover growled, crossing her arms in a huff. It wasn't her fault Rally wasn't paying any attention. And if Rally wasn't practically sitting on the phone, she would have gotten it herself.

With her attention away from her driving, the soft sound was finally able to piece through to her hearing. It was like May had said, her phone was ringing. Pulling the cell out of her back pocket, she looked at the number that was flashing on the front panel. Rally's eyes lit up as she recognized the number. Tossing the phone into the air, Rally's hands flew across her car to adjust the stick, and then pull the emergency brake all in one motion. With squealing rubber, Rally swung her car from the right lane into a perfectly executed J-turn and into a parking spot. Had May not experienced that look many times before, and knew what Rally was capable of; she might have ended up out the window due to the sudden motion. But instead was able to cling to her seat for dear life in time to not be gathering air miles. As the vehicle groaned as it settled on all four tires, Rally's one hand swung up to catch the phone and flipped it open in one motion.

"Rally Vincent Speaking. Yeah? Really?! So it will be there in when? Thank you very much!"

As May's heart winded down from the breakneck parking Rally had just pulled off, she listened to the one sided conversation with a mild interest. Then again anything that got Rally that worked up, had to be interesting. Like a kid given her presents early, Rally's starry eyes came to lock upon May's. Clasping her hands together in front of her, Rally was pouring on an attempt to look cute.

"May!" She said with hope in her voice. "How about we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?" With both a skeptical tone and look she scanned Rally for signs of the up in coming 'deal'. Though she could not figure out what was the big deal, since the car was already out of the repair shop… _Oh._ With sly eyes, May was pretty sure she knew what part of the deal was, now just what could Rally offer to make it worth her while?

"If we go back to the Shop now… We'll get Chinese food…"

"Hmmm…" With a raised eyebrow, May looked at the desperate woman, in hopes to get more out of it then a single, measly meal. If it meant that much to Rally…

"…" Rally pulled back, eyeing the younger girl as she weighted the options that had been set before her. Her brow twitching as she considered her options. Sighing, she resigned herself to what she was getting set up for. "… For the rest of the week?"

Smiling, the smaller girl liked the sound of that deal. "You got it!"

"Alright!" Resigning herself for feeling hungry the next week, she knew it was worth it. Fingering a spot by her shoulder for a second, she sighed once more. It had been a long few days, and she wouldn't feel so naked anymore. Sure, she had a substitute, but nothing felt better then her CZ-75 snuggled close. Tossing the phone to her shorter partner, Rally put both hands back on the wheel.

"You call for takeout and we'll pick it up on the way!" She winked and shifted back into gear. The engine roared back to life under her grip as she took off the brake and shot back into traffic. "I'm coming…"

-------------------------------------

Some might have said that it was the fastest take out ever brought home, but the Chinese place was quite used to this particular set of customers, and this was not the first time they had to practically throw the meal at the moving car. At least it felt like that as how quickly the food vanished and money appeared in its place.

BANG

The gunshot echoed in the empty shooting range. It was just a girl and her gun.

BANG BANG BANG

A few more rounds went off as May continued to chow down on her lo mein. She rolled her eyes as the woman emptied a full clip in the next room with relish. The walls were well made and did a lot to dull the sounds, but it didn't extinguish it all. So when the shots turned to silence, May knew that Rally was done with her little exercise. As the door opened, Rally made her appearance and slid across the room into a seat. With her work jacket off, it was clear to see that her temp gun was back in its case and her CZ-75 was settled in its rightful place. Peering into a mostly empty cup, Rally assessed the damage the younger girl had done on their meal.

"This is why you're still single…" May muttered as she piled another mass of the Chinese noodles into her mouth. Rally was to happy to quip back, since her car was in perfect shape, and her favorite gun was where it was supposed to be. Nothing could ruin her mood right now.

BRING!

Pushing back off the chair, she shifted it to two legs as she leaned to grab the phone. Giving it an expert twirl to suit her giddy mood, she put the received to her head.

"Thank you for calling. This is GunSmith Cats." She chirped her usual line for customers. "Oh hey Roy! What can I do for ya?"

It seemed that their neighborhood friendly cop had decided to give them a call, though nine times out of ten it wasn't just a social call. Rocking back and forth on the chair, Rally seemed to be listening to something Roy was saying on the other line. Leaving her lunch in its happy little take-out container, May strained in her seat to hear what the man was saying over the receiver. Though she could not make out what he was saying. Though with Rally's expressions melting to a serious look, she knew it wasn't very good.

"Thanks Roy. I'm glad you brought this to my attention. Same deal as always. Yeah. I'll let you know when I find something. Yeah yeah. I know, I'll be careful. Yeah, thanks Roy."

She rattled on assurances to the paranoid cop, though it would be his fault if anything happened to them since he gave them the heads up. But Roy felt at least a bit better telling them himself, rather then her finding out on her own and running in without enough information. He tried to give her as much as he knew, hoping that knowledge was indeed power and helped keep his favorite bounty hunter around to drive him crazy.

With the phone back in place, Rally shifted her weight forward to have the chair rattle to all four legs. Leaning upon her knees with her arms, she had a serious look. It seemed that the odds were right, and Roy had some mission for them to tackle.

"So what's up Rally?" May asked curiously.

"Roy said that there is something going on in Chinatown and we better check it out. I'm going to call Becky, see if she doesn't know anything about this 'Grampa' Francis." Rally sighed, knowing full well her good luck was reaching its usual end. Becky was the Best Nose in the Business, but sadly she was also expensive too. But from what Roy had told her over the phone, this was going to take more then just May and her going in blazing. They were going to have to take a bit different approach. Flipping open her cell, she pressed the speed dial for Becky. Putting the receiver to her ear, she listened to ringing till another voice picked up on the phone.

"Hey Becky, Yeah it's me Rally. We need to talk." 


	5. Free Of Charge, Sort Of

Misty leaned forward as Becky was about to tell all about this 'Granpa' Francis character, but a phone broke the silence. With the sudden noise, Misty squeaked and almost fell out of her chair. Which earned a snicker from Bean, who had finished his meal and was downing his last drink. It was amazing how speedy Becky had picked up the phone. Though it was little surprise how fast she answered it, seeing as her whole business rode on her communication skills. Had it ever come to question, it's hard to say who would be faster. Rally drawing and firing off a shot from her CZ75, or Becky the Nose answering her phone.

"Why hello there Miss Rally."

Her eyes must have been as fast as her answering skills, since she automatically knew who was on the other line by the tone of her voice. That, or it could have been the ring tone Becky had put on the phone just for Rally's number... It's The End Of The World As We Know It, by REM. Misty wasn't really sure, but Rally did certainly have a certain End of the World feeling to her when some things where up and about with all the trouble she seemed to get herself into. The grin from Bean showed that he enjoyed the ring tone choice as well.

"What do you need now?"

It seemed Rally on the other line had wasted no time to let Becky in on what she needed. And apparently Becky was not enjoying the news. Her brows crunched together as her face contorted with her unhappiness.

"... Alright, I'll be right over."

Standing up abruptly, Becky closed her phone in one smooth motion and returned it to her pocket. She shouldered her purse she had with her and bowed curtly to Bean. He did just save her after all, so she just didn't want to get saved and run. Turning her back, she wasn't even able to take a step before Bean spoke up.

"Rally knows about Grampa, doesn't she?" He flicked the metal top that had come on his bottle into the air and caught it effortlessly. "Or more like she wants to know about Grampa."

Like a shock up her spine, Becky became straight as a board and frozen in her step. It seemed like no surprise to Bean, but Misty was baffled. Though why else was Becky all tempered when Rally was getting information faster then 'The Nose' could provide. Turning around with a snap, the look on her face said everything. Becky looked like she was going to burst, but Bean standing up seemed to confuse her enough to not get out her sentence. Not paying attention to her, Bean looked over at the nervous waiter and pointed to Mistys unfinished sandwich.

" To go." Was all he needed to say. Like an arrow let loose, the waiter flew across the room where he had been standing and scooped up the meal and had it in a ready box before the kitchen swinging door had settled from him running through it to get the box.

"We'll take my car."

Pushing his glasses up, his face was actually rather serious. Though Bean did seem to have a weakness for kids, so with what he had seen and heard most of that day, Bean had a bone to pick with this Grampa fellow as well. Shouldering up part of his jacket, he moved from behind his seat and cracked his neck once before heading to the entrance. Becky looked over at Misty who only shrugged and followed after the massive man. It seemed like the whole room parted to let Bean through, and did little to get in Becky and Mistys way as they trailed a bit behind. Bean headed to The Buff and unlocked the door. Nodding his head, he wanted them to enter. Misty moved to get in the front seat she had rode in before, but Becky had hesitated.

"But... My car..." She started, Bean leaned over and grasped her by the back of her jacket and lifted her to the back door.

"You can get it later." When Bean was serious, you really didn't want to say 'no' to one of his requests. It had to be a record time made from the parking lot to pulling up to the front of GunSmith Cats.

When Bean exited out of the car, the whole thing shook and settled without his massive weight in the front seat. Misty waited till it was steady and got out. She felt a bit dizzy from the zig zagging Bean had put his car through, but it was actually a bit smoother then some of her more hectic rides with Rally. He was the "Road Buster" after all. Looking to the back seat, Becky had fallen over the back seat having not gotten her seatbelt on well enough when Bean and peeled out of the Pizza Parking lot.

"Ooooooohhh my head." But she had little time to recover when Bean opened the door for her and gripped the back of her jacket again to pull her free of the car and move towards the front of the gun shop. Pushing open the door, Bean's serious face broke into a grin.

"Delivery for a Miss Vincent, On the house."

With the sudden ringing of her bell, Rally thought it was way to early for Becky to have shown up. She was fast with things, but not that fast. Pushing open the door that lead her from the back room where she had been to the front, she then heard the voice of someone she really didn't expect.

"Bean?" She was thrown off with him just standing, grinning in her shop. He looked out of place standing in the middle of the whole shop as he was offering something as it hung from his hand. A very annoyed looking Becky. "Becky!?"

Surprise faded into amusement as Rally leaned into the counter that separated her work section from the customers area. Twirling between her fingers a barrel cleaner, she pondered the situation that was taking place in the middle of her shop.

"Something tells me that this Delivery really isn't free┘ Is it Bean?" Her eyes glittered as she watched the refection of the light in his shades as his head turned while he shrugged.

"Can't I be nice once and a while and bring a gift?" He wiggled the scowling Becky towards Rally. Angry thoughts rolling through her mind but most would end up hurting her more then him. Her fist remembered very clearly the last few times it had connected with that smug grin and ended up the loser in the exchange. So she could do nothing till he let her down, well nothing but grumble. Peering out from behind Bean, Misty was not exactly sure where to put herself. So she skirted around the edge of the room and duck to hide behind the counters edge where she found May hiding there as well.

"Do I want to know?" May pointed to the grinning Bean and the hanging Becky.

"All I know is this has to do with some Grampa." Misty replied, happy to be at least feeling safe behind the counter top. May's eyes went wide as she had heard something about a Grampa as well. Probably the same one with how it looks.

Standing up, Rally effortlessly bound over the counter and sat upon it. In her work clothes, she crossed her legs to sit like a lady as she leaned upon them. She took a moment to look him over as she tried to judge his motives and reactions.

"What is it going to cost me?" Rally's one eyebrow raised in curious wonder. This was shaping up to be quite an adventure if the Great Bean wanted something from it.

"I want to help." Bean replied simply. May and Misty exchanged bewildered looks.

* * *

_Sorry all for the long delay, short and kinda poor chapter. I feel like I was stumbling over myself trying to pick this up. I promise I'll do better with the next chapter. My apologies! : bows: And to give you a cliff hanger to hold on to till the next chapter. And this time I promise to let you guys in more about Michel 'Grampa' Francis. Promise! Thank you for reading! Toki_


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